This invention relates to the deterrence from theft of electrical devices and particularly to a video game cartridge including a security device to deter theft of the cartridge by preventing the cartridge from functioning thereby denying the thief the ability to use the cartridge.
Over the past several years, computer games have become an increasingly popular form of entertainment. Typically, a video game player is connected to a television set. The user then selects a desired video game by choosing the corresponding video game cartridge and inserting the cartridge into the video game player. Each video game cartridge contains video game software in the form of a read only memory ("ROM") which permits the game software to be read from the cartridge. With the cartridge inserted in the player, the game player then reads the game software and runs the video game. The user then responds to the game being displayed on the television set by moving a joystick or pushing buttons.
Individual game cartridges used to play the computer games, however, are expensive, which result in increased theft of the cartridges. Accordingly, retailers often have to secure the cartridges in locked display cases. While such precautions minimize theft, such lack of open merchandising decreases the overall sales volume of the video game cartridges.
Although various types of security apparatuses have been developed for video game cartridges, such apparatuses generally determine whether the video game cartridge inserted into the video game player is an authentic or counterfeit cartridge. Such security apparatuses, however, do not deter theft of the cartridges from a retail establishment. Accordingly, new apparatuses and methods are being sought to inhibit the functioning of the cartridge if improperly removed from a retail establishment as well as to allow open merchandising of the cartridge.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a video game cartridge which includes a security device that in one state permits the functioning of the video game cartridge and in another state inhibits the functioning of the video game cartridge.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a video game cartridge including a security device which allows for open display of the video game cartridge by a retail establishment based upon its configuration.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a video game cartridge including a security device, which is simple in structure and economical to manufacture.